Monday, April 11, 2011

Some schools have honor codes.Others have handbooks.Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way–the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds–a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl’s struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone–especially yourself– you fight for it. from daisywhitneybooks.com

Beth says 4 Stars...I wasn't sure about this book initially, but decided to give it a try since it's one of the novels in The Contemps Challenge. I'm very glad I did, which makes me love this challenge even more. Without it I never would have picked this up and missed out on an interesting debut novel. The main issue I thought would come up was the subject matter, as date rape isn't something to be treated lightly. Whitney handled it beautifully, and brought up many points I hadn't dreamed to think of. It didn't just deal with the obviously painful aftermath, but instead emphasized more subtle points. The one that really sticks with me is how Alex became afraid to go into the cafeteria because that's a place where she would run into her attacker. I also found it interesting the detail placed into the Mockingbirds system and its processes. I also agree with the statements made in the book about how administrations can turn a blind eye to the wrongs of students, as they shouldn't be capable of doing wrong.

Alex morphed into a fantastic character who carried both strength and fragility in spades. Her ordeal broke her, and she allowed herself to hurt before dusting off and changing her situation. However, she never made an about face, so her changes were gradual and never felt forced. The rest of the cast didn't flesh out nearly so well, which was the main weakness of the novel. There was nothing severely wrong with any others, but they couldn't jump of the page and lacked the three dimensionality of Alex.

Overall this book definitely surpassed my expectations, something I always appreciate. I'd recommend this to people who have any sort of fleeting interest in realistic fiction, or someone who's lived in a residential/boarding school environment. The poignant portrayal of the fallout of date rape in a closed environment is not to be missed, especially for someone living at school.

For Authors, Publishers, Agents, etc.

We are more than happy to review YA novels, however we prefer either physical copies or e-books via Netgalley or Edelweiss. If you would like us to review a book please e-mail us at bnbookblog@gmail.com for more information.

Please subscribe

2011 Debut Authors Challenge!

So we've decided to join the challenge! This is just a preliminary list, and is definitely subject to change (we'll be doing a lot of adding as books begin to be released in order to get to the 12 we need!). Also, this is no order whatsoever. (if the book is in a color, it means one of us has read it!)

1. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

2. Human.4 by Mike Lancaster

3. Like Madarin by Kirsten Hubbard

4. The Emerald Atlas by John Stevens

5. A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

6. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

7. Hourglass by Myra McEntire

8. Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell by Crickett Rumley

Stealth and Books

About Us

Welcome to "in BetweeN the pages." This is a little project that we've started and we hope that it will allow us to engage in some lovely book talk. Here's a little about us-

Beth~I have a feeling that I may have a problem. I adore books. I read whenever I can, and most of the time feel that reading a good book would be a much better use of my time than working on anything else. I'm a recent college graduate with a degree in chemistry and love science! I'm currently living in Finland while doing some research as a Fulbright before embarking on my PhD. Hopefully you will enjoy what I say... but I tend to ramble.

Nathan~For me, reading is the ultimate escape. A good book is so much better than any therapist can ever be. I am, what many might call, a book addict. It may be wrong, but it feels so right to blow off my homework and sit curled up with a novel. It's the ultimate relaxation. Books have gotten me through school and all the drama that accompanies it. I hope that my humble opinions can help you as you continue your literary adventure.